Dedicated to All Better

Whether treating a toddler in an emergency or supporting a teen through chemotherapy treatments, we are dedicated to the care of each patient. It’s through teamwork at every level of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and with you, the family, that we are able to achieve excellence in pediatric care.

To make kids better today and healthier tomorrow

With a proven track record of providing world-class care to patients in more than 30 pediatric specialties, we are a model for other pediatric hospitals. Infants, teens and young adults belong in a children’s hospital where they can get specialized treatment from caregivers who know the important differences between children and adults.

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Seeking answers to challenging medical conditions

Research is a cornerstone of the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta mission to enhance the lives of children. In conjunction with Emory University School of Medicine, Georgia Tech and Morehouse, Children’s seeks answers to the most challenging childhood medical conditions through teaching and research.

Getting Kids on a Healthy Track—Simplified

We all want happy, healthy kids. But as a busy parent, helping your kids eat well and stay active can be a challenge.

At Strong4Life, created by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, our doctors, nutritionists and wellness experts create fun, easy ways to help your kids eat, move and live healthier. From picky eaters to passionate gamers, we have a slew of simple tips by experts who understand, because we’re parents, too.

Make a difference in children’s lives

As a not-for-profit organization, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta relies on the generous financial and volunteer support of our community. Your donations directly impact the lives of each family served by Children’s and support many initiatives such as clinical excellence, research, teaching, wellness and charity care.

MRSA is a type of Staph germ, or bacterial infection, which is hard to treat with some commonly used antibiotic medicines. It has developed resistance, or the inability of certain antibiotics to kill the germ.

Because of resistance, MRSA can be hard to treat and can lead to life-threatening blood or bone infections.

MRSA accounts for the most frequent cause of skin and soft tissue infections presenting to emergency rooms in the U.S. Many cases of MRSA infections in the current epidemic are community-acquired (called CA-MRSA). The rise in cases of CA-MRSA has been ongoing at least since 1999.

In hospitalized patients, MRSA has been a problem since the 1960s and is associated with greater lengths of stay, higher death rates and increased costs. This type of MRSA is termed hospital-acquired MRSA or HA-MRSA.

Both CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA can cause minor problems such as boils, and more rarely can progress to serious or life-threatening infections.

MRSA lives on skin and survives on objects and surfaces for more than 24 hours. Drainage (pus) from skin sores can spread bacteria to other body parts or to other people.

MRSA infections can be found in places where there are crowds of people such as schools or gyms.

MRSA is spread by direct, physical contact, as well as by touching objects such as towels, sheets, workout areas and sports equipment that have MRSA germs on them.

Staph bacteria can be found in the normal flora on the skin in about one-third of the population. If a person has staph on the skin or in the nose but is not feeling ill, it is considered to be "colonized" but not infected with MRSA. Healthy persons can be colonized with MRSA and have no ill effects, however, they can pass the germ to others.

Many MRSA infections can be treated by draining the abscess or boil and may not require antibiotics. Only healthcare providers should drain sores. Always keep draining sores covered to prevent others from getting sick.

ECMO—When more advanced life-saving care is required for treating MRSA, the ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta provides pediatric patients with the most advanced forms of life support available. ECMO allows time for patient’s lungs and heart to heal by using a heart-lung machine to oxygenate and purify the blood outside the body. These sophisticated heart and lung bypass machines assume a patient’s heart and lung functions allowing these organs to heal during critical illnesses such as MRSA.